85-year-old dies as he lines up for elderly cash
Assistance. The elderly are ferried on wheelbarrows to receive their senior citizen grant under the government Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment programme in Napak District on September 4. PHOTO BY STEVEN ARIONG
What you need to know:
- Age range. Effective July 1, only Ugandans aged 80 years and above will be included on the new list of Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE)e recipients. This will affect elderly persons living in 77 districts.
- It will not affect the 65-year-olds and above who are each currently receiving Shs25,000 monthly in 57 districts.
AMURIA. An 85-year-old man on Tuesday collapsed and died as he lined up to be registered for the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) programme in Amuria District.
Hennrick Olinga died at Aberillela Sub-county headquarters where SAGE officials had gathered to record particulars of 52 elders who are to start benefiting from the programme. He had been brought on a bicycle.
According to the sub-county vice chairperson, Mr Simon Peter Eroku, the incident happened at around 4pm as they attended a council meeting.
“We had to call off the session. The body was later taken to his village in Awajakitoi, Olela Parish,” he said.
Mr Eroku said Olinga was brought to the registration venue in bad shape. The deceased brother in-law, Mr Simon Ocibir said Olinga was sick but he had to bring him so as not to miss out on the programme.
“I could not have left him home; I valued the exercise and I knew after registering, he would start benefiting because the issue of poverty here is real. Elders of that age here lack healthcare,” he said.
History
Mr Ocibir added that a fortnight ago, the deceased had been admitted to Ongutoi Health Centre with malaria.
Currently, there are 44 elders benefitting from SAGE in the sub-county.
In December 2016, 88-year-old Theresa Iregu collapsed and died after receiving her two-month SAGE money totalling Shs50,000 in Morungatuny Sub-county, Amuria District.
The SAGE programme, which started in 2010, supports older persons above 65 years with monthly grants of Shs25,000. According to the Uganda Retirements Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) Annual Report 2017, as of March 2018, at least 190, 466 (21 per cent) of Ugandans 65 years plus were covered by SAGE.
The authority projected that by 2050, the 65-year plus age bracket will comprise five per cent of Uganda’s population then, that is, it will account for five million of the projected 101 million Ugandans.
NEW RULES FOR GRANT
Age range. Effective July 1, only Ugandans aged 80 years and above will be included on the new list of Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE)e recipients. This will affect elderly persons living in 77 districts.
It will not affect the 65-year-olds and above who are each currently receiving Shs25,000 monthly in 57 districts.
Mr Joseph Basoga, the SAGE senior programme officer, said the policy is in line with a resolution of Parliament that government extends SAGE services to all districts.
